Friend or Foe
by greeneyedAlice91
Summary: Horace has been in the basement for awhile and, becasue of how he looks, is on the recieving end of Susan and Royce's schoolyard taunts till one day someone steps in and defends him. a bit of horace/ryan slash/pre-slash if you look.


**Friend or Foe***

He was new here and he felt just as he did when he was alive, as if every second he was going to be ridiculed and laughed at. Of course some of the basement's occupants had done just that. Well really it was only the Bound Woman, who he later learned was Susan LeGrow and the Torn Prince, or in life, Royce Clayton. To someone like Horace it wasn't too bad of a deal, two out of twelve, leaving the other ten as possible, dare he think…friends. The Withered Lover was a friend right off the bat, as was The Torso, The First Born Son, and The Hammer. The others would take awhile, but after all they had eternity.

The Angry Princess was an easy one to win over, just her taking one look at Horace had her feeling a river of compassion for this ghost who was twisted and deformed, and unlike herself, had been since birth. Dana, Horace had come to learn was sweet, but could be brought to anger defending herself or her friends. She had, in life, very few true friends so those she found in death she held ever closer to her heart.

The Dire Mother and her son Harold took some convincing as they too had little or trust for others. But then again who could blame them? They were, after all, dead carnies who, no doubt had been taunted and jeered at as much as Horace had. The Dire Mother had, after listening to his story and offer of friendship, taken his plea for companionship as genuine and accepted. Now Horace had the backing and friendship of some of the strongest and amiable spirits in their confines. Horace snorted to himself as it looked like Royce and Susan were gearing up for their daily 'Taunt the Giant' game.

As if on cue their verbal barbs flew at the tall, deformed ghostly mechanic. "You have a face only a mother would love." Sneered Royce as Susan added "And a body no one would touch. To top it off you are a mechanic." She sniffed at that and wrinkled her up turned nose. Royce picked up the thread again with the usual "Your mother abandoned you because you are such a freak." Susan slid in again. "I heard when I was out and about," she jerked her wobbly head in the direction of the world outside "that your pathetic father when he first saw you he was going to drown you but someone almost saw him so he couldn't."

That was like a stab to Horace's dead heart. He knew his father didn't really like him but to try and kill his own son? The giant was at a loss for words as he just stared at Susan in shock. The others who were friends of the mechanic were all yelling and threatening the pair with everything under the sun. Then out of the din a voice, gravelly and rough but deadly, sliced through the anger in the air. "What makes you two," the Jackal asked "so high and mighty as to pick on someone like Horace here? What has he done to you? I for one haven't heard him say vicious things to you the whole time you've been ganging up on him."

At the words of the only ghost, besides the Pilgrimess for she was neutral, who hadn't befriended Horace, everyone stopped short. Royce looked like his car had gone up in flames yet again and Susan looked like she had lost Prom Queen. The Jackal or Ryan to those he called friends, wasn't done yet.

"Ah yes I thought so. Can't come up with excuses to hide behind, is that so? Here is a newsflash for you two little children: one day, and I hope it's soon, your little taunting game will back fire. And it won't be pretty. I may have killed and raped woman but I had the decency to have respect for them and just because Horace is a man doesn't mean he is owed the same amount of respect. If I ever hear one foul and hurtful come from either of you again, you'll be glad I can't reach you." Ryan snarled with a feral grin stretching his ragged lips.

Turning to Horace he asked one simple question. "Are you alright?" Horace blinked in surprise. It wasn't often people asked him that. "I…think so. I mean I knew my father didn't love me like he should have but I never knew he tried to killed me. Some part of me knew but I never looked into it. I think by now though, after what I've done alive and dead, this shouldn't haunt me half as much." Horace said with a laugh at his unintended pun. Ryan's only response was to nod and turn back to sit in the corner of his cell. In his mind Horace knew that he had just gained another friend for eternity. Maybe even something more.

**AN: The title comes from a One-Eyed Doll song by the same name. R&R and maybe I'll write a slashy companion to this…if people want it.**


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